July 11, 2017 — Four years ago last Saturday,
Pope Francis made his first pastoral visit outside of Rome to the tiny island
of Lampedusa, Italy, where he met with migrants who had made the treacherous
crossing from the coast of North Africa and remembered the many who had died
seeking refuge.

The pope’s call for solidarity with
migrants has been a hallmark of his papacy, and the Jesuits of the United States and Canada are heeding that call by launching a new campaign that aims to
create a culture of hospitality for migrants.

Working in partnership with the Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN), the Campaign for
Hospitality will reach out to U.S. and Canadian Jesuit universities,
schools, parishes, social ministries, retreat centers, Jesuit communities, and
other ministries. It will attempt to engage those in the Jesuit family who may
not normally participate in social justice initiatives, such as alumni of
Jesuit schools, parents of students, and parishioners.

Jesuit partners, such as Jesuit
Refugee Service/USA and Jesuit Schools Network — as well as similar Jesuit
programs outside the United States and Canada, including the Jesuit Migration Network in
Latin America, the Conference of Jesuit Provincials in Latin America, Fe y
Alegría, and the Jesuit Social Apostolate in Spain — have been invited to
participate.

The campaign will expose the harsh
realities associated with human migration and will include three main elements:
encounter, understanding, and action. Public awareness materials will be
available to participants as well as education and advocacy resources and
information for those interested in hosting migrants.

ISN, an
organization that advocates for social justice grounded in the spirituality of the
Jesuits’ founder, St. Ignatius, aims for the campaign to build a greater culture of welcoming and compassion for
those who migrate to the United States and Canada. That includes immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers who are escaping violence, persecution, or extreme poverty.

“Encounter will often come through
tangible experiences directly or virtually with those who migrate,” said Christopher
Kerr, executive director of ISN. “Action will include advocacy, acts of
hospitality, and public witness. Understanding has a double meaning — both
providing resources for intellectual understanding of the issues and, perhaps more
importantly, encouraging dialogue that leads people to a deeper understanding
of the recognition of the realities migrants face — and the reasons that people
feel challenged to be welcoming to them at times.”

But “images and words are not
always sufficient when inviting people into transformation,” said Kerr.

“Our human nature often requires
that we encounter the ‘wounds’ of injustice directly before we can truly come
to understand them and respond to them.” For this reason, the campaign will
include opportunities for getting to know migrants.

To do this, the campaign will partner
with other Jesuit organizations, such as the Kino Border Initiative, which
works with migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. Local opportunities for
interaction could include meeting with undocumented students at a Jesuit
university, who could share their experiences with students, parents, and alumni
in the area.

“I am encouraged to see this type
of cooperation between Jesuit ministries and our Ignatian partners,” said Fr.
Timothy Kesicki, SJ, president of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. “Together we can
do so much to welcome migrants and displaced peoples and learn from their
experience.”

For more on the Campaign for
Hospitality and to register as a participant, click here.

February 5, 2018 — Let us pray in thanksgiving for the life of Fr. Eugene J. Nevins, SJ (UMI), who died 11:30 a.m. on February 2, 2018, at St. Camillus in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. He was 85 years old. May he rest in peace.

January 17, 2018 — “If I saw You on the street / and You said come and follow me…” These words from the song “You Can Have Me” by Sidewalk Prophets came on the radio one summer day. I had just graduated from St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio, and the words spoke to me in a life-changing way.